Stanford University's Graduate School of Business will host a one-day conference on socially and environmentally responsible supply chains. Entitled "Shared Value and Supply Chains - Strategies for Success," the event will take place on Oct. 10, 2012 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:20 p.m., and be followed by a networking reception.

Jeeves Information Systems AB, a developer of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems for small and medium-sized businesses, has established a new headquarters for its North American operations in Chicago.

Trimble, a vendor of applications to aid field and mobile workers in business and government, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire TMW Systems Inc.

Acumatica, a provider of enterprise resource planning (ERP) software in the cloud, has integrated its product with the AccellosOne Cloud WMS (warehouse management system).

Thrive Technologies Inc. has released Firstcast, a demand-forecasting service.

Challenge: A global manufacturer of 49% food and 51% pet products manages over 3,500 inputs from growers, with 17 U.S. production facilities, 24 devoted to co-packing, 11 distribution centers and more than 550 ship-to locations. Internationally it operates 20 co-packing locations and imports the equivalent of more than 11,000 twenty-foot containers (TEUs) from 48 destinations.

Challenge: The strategy for a leading manufacturer of diesel and specialized trucks was to grow truck assembly operations in Mexico. To do so, it needed to integrate an already existing U.S. cross-dock network with cross-border activities and optimize shipments between the countries, while ensuring reliability and visibility throughout the supply chain.